First Lady Laura Bush’s classic cowboy kitchen sink cookies earned their cookie fame for a reason. They’re made with rolled oats, pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips for an over-the-top cookie you won’t be able to resist.
In election year 2000, Family Circle magazine hosted a cookie baking between Tipper Gore and Laura Bush.
While I’m sure Tipper’s gingersnaps were admirable, Laura’s big Texas Cowboy cookies walked away with the prize. And for good reason, these cookies are good!
What are cowboy cookies?
Packed with Oatmeal, pecans, coconut and chocolate chips, these cookies are not shy. They’re big, savory, well, that’s a biscuit, some kind of biscuit.
Mrs. Bush’s original recipe is huge, it can easily make 6 dozen cookies. So I made a few slight adjustments to cut the recipe in half, which still makes a lot. Feel free to double it back to the original proportions.
Ways to customize this recipe
The bigger the cookie, the tougher it can be. So if you like chewy cookies, make them big. If you want chewy cookies, bake them until the edges are browned. Baking the cookie until it’s nicely browned will make it crispier.
You can swap in a different type of chocolate chips or nuts in this recipe if you’d like. You can also try reducing the amount of any of these ingredients and add dried fruits like raisins or dried cranberries.
If you’re not a fan of coconut, you could tinker with leaving it out. You could easily add another half cup of oats.
Store and freeze cowboy cookies
The baked cookies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for about 5 days, after which they tend to dry out. You can also wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, place in an airtight freezer container or bag, and freeze for up to a month.
The unbaked cookie dough can also be scooped onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and frozen. Once the cookie dough balls are frozen, collect them in a freezer container or bag and freeze them for up to a month. Bake as many as you like, as directed, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
Try these other over-the-top cookies:
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Cocoa Coconut Macaroons
- Brookies (chocolate chip cookies)
- S’mores cookies
Cowboy Cookies by Laura Bush
This recipe is half a recipe of the original which calls for 3 eggs. To get half of 3 eggs, you can either use just one egg or beat two eggs and remove about 2 tablespoons.
The bigger the cookie, the tougher it can be. So if you like chewy cookies, make them big. If you want a chewy cookie, bake until the edges are browned, but not the whole cookie. Baking the cookie until it’s nicely browned will make it crispier.
Adapted from the Washington Post version of Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookie Recipe.
ingredients
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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1 1/2 teaspoon Cinammon
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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12 tablespoons (6 ounces) butterat room temperature
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3/4 Cup White sugar
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3/4 Cup Brown sugar
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1 1/2 big eggs, whipped (See recipe note)
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1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
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1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
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1 Cup sweetened coconut flakes (we shredded)
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1 Cup chopped pecans
method
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Preheat oven, prepare baking sheets:
Preheat oven to 350°F with racks on top and bottom third. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
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Whisk dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
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Prepare cookie dough:
Place butter in standing electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Slowly add the white sugar and brown sugar and beat to combine, about 2 more minutes. Add half the eggs, beating and then add the other half and beating again. Add the vanilla extract and beat again.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Add the chocolate chips, oatmeal, coconut, and pecans and mix until just combined.
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Hollow out cookies:
If you want large cookies, drop about 1/4 cup clumps of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, separated by 3 inches to allow enough room for the cookies to spread as they bake.
For smaller cookies, use about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie.
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Bake cookies:
Bake at 350°F for 14 to 18 minutes for large cookies or 13 to 16 minutes for small cookies. Turn pan halfway through baking, front to bake and top to bottom.
Simple tip!
If you use a dark-colored baking sheet, it will absorb more heat and you will need less baking time. Also, the top rack will bake faster because the heat will rise.
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Cool cookies:
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Depending on the size of your oven and pans, you may need to work in batches.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 167 | calories |
| 9g | Fat |
| 21g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
